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Parenting

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Original poster

At what age did you stop letting your girl's hair grow longer?

39 replies

Thurlow · 19/08/2013 14:06

This is probably a very, very silly thing to poll but I've had a few mildly aghast reactions from friends about this!

18mo has always had a lot of hair. Now it is a thick, shoulder length bob and can be cut into a proper style. I mentioned to a few people that I was thinking of leaving it this length, as it's long enough to be tied up, but it's starting to be a pain to wash and also to dry in time for her to go to bed. Friends seemed to react as if it's almost obligatory to keep growing a girl's hair until they are old enough to have a preference themselves I suppose it might be because DD has a lot more hair than the average 18mo, so all my friends are only just seeing their DD's hair start to grow. I've always had short hair, now wondering if my mum kept it cut to make life easier!

Did you just let it keep growing, or cut it and let it grow longer when your DD asked for it?

This has nothing to do with me not wanting it to grow so long I have to contemplate plaits, oh no...

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oscarwilde · 20/08/2013 16:21

Your call. She'll never forgive you if you cut her lovely long locks and give her a bowl hair cut though bitter

turkeyboots · 20/08/2013 16:26

DD has always had a bob. Easier to manage for me and now long enough to tie up if she wants. But she's the only girl in the class without long hair. Doesn't bother her though as school has a rule that hair longer than shoulders must be tied up, which didn't go down well with the other Mums!

LittleBearPad · 20/08/2013 16:32

Oscar my first rebellion was my refusal under any circumstances to get a bowl hair cut. My mum was so disappointed.

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Original poster

Thurlow · 20/08/2013 16:39

I could try a bowl cut, hmmm...

Actually, I have tried to trim her fringe occasionally. It is always a disaster. I now understand why hairdressers get paid what they do.

OP posts:

OnFoot · 20/08/2013 16:42

My DD is just 3 and I've had her hair in a chin-length bob for some time. I don't want to be dealing with tons of knots and getting dirt/plasticine/paint/dinner etc out of long hair on a daily basis. I also think it's helping to thicken up her fine and wispy hair.

It also seems to represent less of a temptation for hair-pulling at nursery etc.

She looks very cute, feminine and lots of people comment on her looking cute, chic and parisian!

Til she's old enough to argue about it, it will be staying short. I wouldn't worry, have her hair as long or as short as you want. I wouldn't bother in the least over what other people think - it's no-one's business but yours and your daughter's.

oscarwilde · 22/08/2013 14:56

For what it's worth I've let my 3yo hair grow until now. Too soppy to cut off her baby curls. It's getting dry ends and straggly now and I have to admit that it just needs a good trim. If I don't tie it up tightly I spend most of my time redoing her hair because she's been running around, so what's the point.
Plus she's about to start nursery school so nits are only a matter of time apparently

teabagpleb · 22/08/2013 15:20

Dd had her first cut at 17 months and looks like a small Julie Andrews, so can't get more feminine than that! If she had been as clean a toddler as ds, I'd have let it grow, but she's a complete muck-magnet and started not liking hair washing, so it needs cutting until she's old enough to express a preference, and if she wants it longer, to put up with washing and brushing.

Ds hates haircuts but I told him he could have it long, but it would need washing every 3 days and proper brushing every day - and he hates those even more.

Original poster

Thurlow · 22/08/2013 15:23

"Muck magnet" - that's a brilliant description DD is the same, despite clean clothes in the morning and hair tied back she still looks grubby most of the time.

I have delegated her first haircut in several months to my parents when they have her to stay for a few days next month

OP posts:

wigglesrock · 22/08/2013 20:05

Dd2 (5) and dd3 (2) both have chin length with fringe bobs.

Dd1 (8) has shoulder blade length hair - no fringe. She had the bob until she was about 5.5 and then she decided to grow it longer. It's about as long as either of us can manage

CogDat · 22/08/2013 20:17

Chin length bobs do look very chic on small girls.

spottyblanket · 23/08/2013 23:59

It depends on the type of hair really. Dd2 has superfine hair which looks staggley and flat when long, not that it ever seems to grow to any great length so she's decided on a very fetching bob, looks divine.

Dd1 9, has immensely thick, fair hair so long she sits on it. Obviously inherited from my mother who had hair 3 1/2 feet long.

The lovely haired genes completely bypassed me. My childhood nickname was The Haystack.

gallicgirl · 24/08/2013 00:07

I think DD had 2 haircuts before she was a year old. It was long enough for pigtails briefly but DP wouldn't fasten it back so it got really messy.
She's now 2.5 and we keep it in a short bob for ease. Brushes easily, quick blast with hairdryer nearly dries it and I can fasten back fringe with a clip to keep it out of the way.

TwasBrillig · 24/08/2013 00:07

I've very rarely seen bobs on small girls. There's one girl at the music group who had her hair cut short and I always wondered why her mother had done so as the hair looked thick and healthy, I'd assumed it didn't grow well.

My hair is short but I want to preserve my girls wavy hair until they're old enough to choose. I'd never really thought about it but yes this thread made of realise I had thought it cruel to cut a girls hair. Most of the other girls would be wearing plaits and bobbles etc.

However reading this thread has shown it was just a subconscious assumption of mine!

gallicgirl · 24/08/2013 00:20

Perhaps attitudes towards shorter hair depends on experience?
I had a page boy hairstyle as a toddler and I have always had lots of healthy shiny hair so I connected the two together in my mind.
I remember my long haired niece squealing and crying when having her hair brushed so when DD cried when I brushed her hair, I wanted to avoid future struggles and got it cut!

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